BACKGROUND GUIDE

COUNTER-TERRORISM COMMITTEE

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Letter from the secretariat

2. Committee history
3. Working methods
4. The Guide
5. Bibliography
 Letter from the Secretariat
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to Sankara Vidyashramam Model United Nations 2015 and
particularly to the Counter Terrorism Committee. Kailasam and I
will be your chairs for this simulation. Simulating this committee at
this MUN gives you the opportunity to work together to achieve
consensus on some of the most critical issues facing the
international community. We hope you will find this Background
Guide useful as it serves to introduce you to the topic for this
committee. It is not meant to replace further research and we
highly encourage you explore in-depth your countries’ policies as
well as use the Annotated Bibliography and Bibliography to further
your knowledge on these topics. As you all go through the
background guide, it is extremely important to read each and every
aspect of it and highlight key points based on your understandings,
make note of the pointer questions as they will be the key factors
for ensuring high quality debate and will help you as the committee
progresses. Presence of mind and attentiveness is extremely
essential for all delegates. We expect each and every delegate to be
well researched with the broad areas presented; every delegate
has an equally important role to play in committee, apart from this
we would like to emphasise the importance of ensuring that the
delegates are aware of their country’s historical background and
current situation in the global politics and international relations. It
is imperative that the delegates come to the conference with a
clear and decisive foreign policy as the representative of their
respective countries. In the committee, we expect a diplomatic 

personality and a proper decorum to be maintained. We expect you
to be thorough with the rules and procedures however queries
regarding the same could be addressed in the committee. Looking
forward to a good quality debate and an extraordinary experience
in committee, research well.

May the Force Be With You.

Executive Board of the Counter Terrorism Committee.

Committee History

OUR MANDATE

Guided by Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005),

the CTC works to bolster the ability of The United Nations Member
States to prevent terrorist acts both within their borders and
across regions. It was established in the wake of the 11 September
terrorist attacks in the United States.

Biography

The CTC is assisted by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive

Directorate (CTED), which carries out the policy decisions of the
Committee, conducts expert assessments of each Member State
and facilitates counter-terrorism technical assistance to countries. 

Resolution 1373 (2001), adopted unanimously on 28 September
2001, calls upon Member States to implement a number of
measures intended to enhance their legal and institutional ability to
counter terrorist activities, including taking steps to:
• Criminalize the financing of terrorism
• Freeze without delay any funds related to persons involved in acts
of terrorism
• Deny all forms of financial support for terrorist groups
• Suppress the provision of safe haven, sustenance or support for
terrorists
• Share information with other governments on any groups
practicing or planning terrorist acts
• Cooperate with other governments in the investigation, detection,
arrest, extradition and prosecution of those involved in such acts;
and
• Criminalise active and passive assistance for terrorism in
domestic law and bring violators to justice.
The resolution also calls on States to become parties, as soon as
possible, to the relevant international counter-terrorism legal
instruments.
Resolution 1624 (2005) pertains to incitement to commit acts of
terrorism, calling on UN Member States to prohibit it by law,
prevent such conduct and deny safe haven to anyone "with respect
to whom there is credible and relevant information giving serious
reasons for considering that they have been guilty of such
conduct."
 Working Methods

In short, the work of the CTC comprises:

• Country visits - at their request, to monitor progress, as well as
to evaluate the nature and level of technical assistance a given
country may need in order to implement resolution 1373 (2001);
• Technical assistance - to help connect countries to available
technical, financial, regulatory and legislative assistance
programmes, as well as to potential donors;
• Country reports – to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the
counter-terrorism situation in each country and serve as a tool for
dialogue between the Committee and Member States;
• Best practices – to encourage countries to apply known best
practices, codes and standards, taking into account their own
circumstances and needs; and
• Special meetings – to develop closer ties with relevant
international, regional and sub-regional organizations, and to help
avoid duplication of effort and waste of resources through better
coordination.

Introduction:-
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also known as Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or simply Islamic State (IS), are
an extremist Islamic group. Through shocking violence and
unforgiving cruelty they are seizing territory at alarming rates in
eastern Syria and parts of northern and western Iraq. Their goal is
to implement their conservative Islamic traditions and values
through the creation of a caliphate, which is an Islamic state ruled
by one supreme religious/political leader, in accordance with
Sharia law.
This is one of the most obvious ways in which ISIS differ from the
organisation that they originally formed from – al-Qaeda. The latter
believe that the “enemy”, ie the Western world, must first be
defeated before an Islamic Caliphate can be established. However,
the former have already established one. Indeed, this is one of the
many ways in which ISIS are redefining Islamic fundamentalism and
this can be seen by the fact that al-Qaeda have disavowed ISIS. It
must be forgotten that they are not the same threat as al-Qaeda.
Another nuance to consider is whether the challenge that is being
presented to the international community by ISIS as a non-state
actor/terrorist organisation or whether we are, in fact, facing a
state. Counter-terrorism until now by the UN has always
conceptualized terrorist groups as non-state actors. However with
ISIS their mission as a group is to create an Islamic Caliphate and
their current operations certainly resemble those of a state. They
have a leader, territory, army, trade, ministers, they introduce
policing and judicial structures to new territories, and they even
have an education system. The consequences of this conception of
ISIS affects the precise nature of how UN should undertake
operations and counterinsurgency strategies against them.
It should also be considered that ISIS activities are not the only
activities which is causing the civil rife in Iraq and Syria. When
discussing this topic, it is important to not be blind to these other
conflicts. In Iraq, there is a number of Sunni groups rising against
the Shiite government. ISIS contribute “possibly less than a third of
rebel forces” (Ismaeel 5) with numerous other Sunni rebel groups
also causing upheaval in Iraq. Likewise in Syria, ISIS are joined by
Jabhat al-Nusra, Hezbollah, YPG among other rebel forces. Thus,
ISIS’s operations should be considered in proportion to the entire
conflict situation within Iraq and Syria. Solutions should be sensitive
to these complex issues of sovereignty and legitimate (or at least
internationally recognised) governments. Finally, although the
entire situation in Iraq and Syria do require solutions, it must be
emphasised that our question focuses on ISIS activities and the
issues that they are causing in these regions.

Timeline :-

1932 : after 12 years of British colonial rule, Iraq gain independence.

This is marked with their entry into the League of Nations in
October this year.

1946: Syria gains independence from France.

September 1980 – August 1988: New President Saddam Hussein

orders the invasion of Iran, the Iran-Iraq War begins (an official
ceasefire is signed in 1990).

August 1990: Persian Gulf War begins.

2000 : Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant, establishes the
extremist group Tawhid wa al-Jihad (Unity and Jihad)

2003: US and its allies invade Iraq and overthrow the Hussein
regime.

2004: Al-Zarqawi forms al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).

2006: Al-Zarqawi is killed by a US airstrike. As a result of this AQI

join together with other militant groups to form Islamic State of
Iraq (ISI)

2011: Syria Civil War begins. At this time, ISI aid Syria’s opposition to
establish the militant group Nusra Front.

December 2011: US troops leave Iraq and ISI activity in Iraq rises.

April 2013: ISI expand into Syria and announce the change of name
to ISIS.

June 2014: ISIS take Mosul, Tikrit and Al-Qaim. They declare a
caliphate.

August 2014: US begin airstrikes.

Ramadan 2014: ISIS proclaim their caliphate with their leader as
Caliph. Their territorial gains are considerable, notably with Iraq’s
second city Mosul under their control. It is estimated that ISIS’s
fighters are between 20,000 and 50,000 (Dehez). Their military
capability cannot be underestimated, taking the current example of
their offensive manoeuvres as they are advancing on both Kobane
and the Iraqi province of Anbar shows their persistence (Dehez).
Currently the USA is leading a 60 strong “coalition of the willing”,
but its role is limited to air strikes and sending in military trainers.
It is believed that airstrikes are slowing down ISIS’s advance on
Kobane. However, in general there is a reticence from the
international community to commit military action into this conflict.
In November, the UN Independent International Commission of
Inquiry on Syria concluded that ISIS is accountable for war crimes
and crimes against humanity. ISIS is a group which uses execution,
slavery, rape, amputation and torture in order to instil fear and
maintain order in the territories that it conquers. There have also
been reports that children would be exposed to horrific sights of
mass execution and torture, in order to desensitise them to
violence with the view of ultimately conscripting them. These are
the real, on-the-ground facts about ISIS activities.
Current UN activities :-

▪ Conventions

i. International Convention against the Taking of Hostages

ii. Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated
Personnel
 iii. International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist
Bombings
iv. International Convention for the Suppressing of the Financing
of Terrorism
v. International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of
Nuclear Terrorism

Some of the questions your resolution must answer:-

i. What is the legality of a coalition of the willing?

ii. The Kurdish Peshmergas have been important in the conflict
so far, also how will the UNCTC deal with the massive effect
this war has had so far on the Kurdish people?
iii. There is no definition for what exactly a “terrorist act” is.
Should there be?
iv. Does Chapter VII of the UN Charter and “threat to peace”
need to be more specifically defined?
v. Who is considered the legitimate representative government
of both Syria and Iraq?
vi. What will be done for the refugees and internally displaced
people?
vii. What NGOs and other UN bodies can we involve in the process
of providing emergency humanitarian support in Iraq and
Syria? Who will coordinate these efforts?
viii.What sanctions, if any, will be placed upon ISIS?
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

i. ISIS fast facts. CNN Library 2014. http://edition.cnn.com/

2014/08/08/world/isis-fast-facts/

ii. ISIS kills 300 members of Sunni tribe, Iraqi government says.
CNN. 2014. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/03/world/meast/
isis-mass-killing/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

iii. Number of people feeling ongoing crisis in Iraq “increasing

rapidly”. UN Multimedia. 2014. http://www.unmultimedia.org/
radio/english/2014/06/number-of-people-fleeing-ongoing-
crisis-in-iraq-increasing-rapidly/#.VHzjczHF8ue

iv. Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry

on the Syrian Arab Republic. Rule of Terror: Living under ISIS
in Syria. 2014. http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/
HRCouncil/CoISyria/HRC_CRP_ISIS_14Nov2014.pdf

v. Syria Profile. BBC News. 2014. http://www.bbc.com/news/

world-middle-east-14703856
vi. Terrorism Monitor. The Jamestown Foundation. Volume XII,
Issue 15. July 2014. http://jamestown.org/uploads/media/
TerrorismMonitorVol12Issue15_01.pdf
vii. The Rise of Islamic State. BBC News. 2014. <http://
www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28116033.>
viii.UNGA Reso http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?
symbol=A/RES/60/288
ix. UN Charter. UN. 2014. http://www.un.org/en/documents/
charter/chapter7.shtml